Well I finally took the plunge and bought a spare tire in preparation of changing over to non-run flats later this year. (I found a guy on one of the Supra forums that wanted to sell his.) So now I have to figure out how I'm going to mount it in the trunk: with a Lexus cover or a cheaper cover like the RX8 uses.

However, other than that, the first thing that I want to do is to paint the wheel. Boy, that beast is butt ugly! That puke mustard yellow color is just more than I can take and I'm a pretty laid back guy.

Any suggestions as to what kind of paint to use? Obviously, it doesn't have to be shown room pretty or perfect since it will only get used if I ever get a flat, but I don't know if I can handle that color whether it is hidden in the trunk or (gasp) on the car. Suggestions?

 

Clean it up, wipe it down good. Prep is 90% of the battle. Mask off the tore portion then I just use some good quality heat resistant paint for wheels. Sold everywhere.

 

Okay, thanks. Now since I am paint ignorant (and have strived for a long time to remain that way ), will the paint indicate that it is for wheels or is it just a certain type of paint?

 

Yes, it will be wheel specific in a few different shades of silver. Very important to clean clean clean the wheel very good. Some use primer to ensure the paint adheres to the wheel.

 

Thanks again.

 

Harold,

Are you planning on leaving the spare in all the time, or just on long trips? I have the RX8 spare and I only put it in for longer drives. There's really no need for "mounting". It fits snugly with nothing, and if you want it really secured, a bungee cord works nicely. I haven't seen a Supra wheel in the back of our cars, but I assume it would fit equally snugly, with no mounting hardware, etc.

 

+1 TooCool, I've found just a good quality bungee cord will secure most anything in the trunk

 

The RX8 wheel fits much better (more snug) than the Supra wheel, having had both in my trunk.

 

Good to know. I've always wondered about the differences in the fit.

I assume the reason for the difference in fit is because the Supra spare is a bigger wheel and can't sit down in the well as much as the RX8 wheel does. Consequently, it wouldn't have as much side support. Would a tight bungee cord be enough to secure the Supra wheel satisfactorily, or does it really need some kind of hardware to secure it effectively?

 

There are entire spare tire conversion kits available from Sewell. It includes a bracket so you can properly secure the spare tire, rubber bumpers so the spare doesn't rattle, the correct replacement trunk mats, spare tire cover, etc. It takes about an hour to convert it over completely. For those budget mided folks, you can buy as little or as much of the kit as you want. Rather than bungy cord, I'd at least buy the bracket, and the rubeer bumpers so the spare is secure and doesn't rattle.

 

I probably plan on just leaving it in there so I won't have to mess with it, though after having to deal with only 1/2 trunk with the top down for a while, I may change my mind.

If you price out the complete kit without the tire included, it costs a little over $300. If you take out the cover, mat and new trim piece, it should be well under $100.

I noticed that there are some "covers" on ebay for the SC430 in the $20 range but they really don't indicate what they are and don't have an actual picture to show. I emailed them and they basically said that if the picture isn't on the ad, we don't have one and don't intend on getting you one. Real customer service, eh? The picture they show is of a Jeep with the spare mounted on the back. However, if I could get the cover like the RX8 has, I would think that would be sufficient, but I don't know where to get that.

 

I have a supra spare in my 02 SC430, fits snug, no need for the bracket. Also, I repainted the wheel with the same yellow color paint, it looks new. (I cleaned and primed it first)

Would be nice to have an original spare tire cover, but not worth the price charged by the dealers. So mine stays "naked"

 

Neither the Supra or the Mazda tire rattles; when I had the Supra tire in the trunk, I shoved an old towel in between it and the trunk liner and it didn't move at all (no bungee). With the Mazda tire, I used a bungee, but I don't know if I needed it. Cosmetically, the kit would look better covering the tire, but I could care less what the inside of my trunk looks like

 

to do it professional and shouldnt cost more than $75 get it powercoated, thats what I did with my fabulous profounds (they were pollished before!)